Priority List of Animal Services Implementation Plan Recommendations

Transcription

1 1 Revise Mission of Animal Services We will include as a key indicator in our Business Plan, a live outcome goal of 90%. $0 FY10 Draft of mission statement in process. Estimate completion by 4/30/10. Draft was provided to TLAC Mgmt Team for additional input. Provided to Animal Advisory Commission on 6/9/10. AAC will review during July meeting. An updated TLAC Management Staff version provided to AAC at the July 14 th meeting. The final version of the mission statement was adopted at the August AAC meeting. 2 Davenport Adoption Center The development of adoption programs in the Davenport building offers opportunities for partner organizations to enhance our community efforts. Outsourcing this program to a partner organization would bring the advantage of focusing Animal Services staff on the increased customer traffic that we expect at the new shelter. $126,617 FY12 The purchasing process will be completed in anticipation of funding operations in FY12. The current TLAC site will be maintained for a period of 6 months after the new Animal Services Center is opened. 1/11/11 Page: 1

2 3 Continue (Permanently Fund) Make-Ready Capacity Pilot Project Continue in-house sterilizations achieved in the current pilot program. Provides staffing for surgeries to be performed on Saturdays and Sundays, fully utilizing the surgery suite capacity. This would provide approximately 2,000 surgery slots and would continue total capacity at 5,600 surgeries. $60,590 Will continue surgeries on Saturdays and Sundays for the remainder of the current fiscal year. This item will be a budget consideration for the budget process. City Manager presented the Proposed Budget with $60,590 of funding for this item (two 0.5 Vet Tech Leads positions). Vet Tech Lead staff hired. 4 Offsite Adoptions Offsite adoptions offer opportunities for partner organizations to enhance our community efforts. Outsourcing this program to an organization with core competencies in off-site adoptions would bring the advantage of focusing Animal Services staff on the increased customer traffic that we expect at the new shelter as well as bringing experience with off-site adoptions to the table. This package would provide options for four sites and place approximately 1,700. $100,000 to outsource budget process. RFP to be completed for possible contract award October 2010 if funded for. No proposals were received by COA to provide an off-site adoptions service. 1/11/11 Page: 2

3 5 Veterinary Capacity for Injured/Ill Shelter Animals Fund a 0.5 veterinarian and one additional veterinary technician to provide additional capacity for treating injured/ill animals that are candidates for re-homing or returning to their original homes. $95,000 (0.5 veterinarian and 1.0 veterinary technician) Savings are being identified to implement some additional veterinary capacity in the current fiscal year so that some additional care can be provided. budget process. City Manager presented the Proposed Budget with $95,000 of funding for this item (0.5 Veterinarian and 1.0 Vet Tech position). 1.0 Vet Tech and 0.5 Veterinarian position filled. Behaviorist Position A position and funding has been identified for hiring a Behaviorist. budget process. Position is posted locally (COA) and nationally and applications are being reviewed. 6 Fund a behaviorist position to create programs that assist sheltered animals that have behavior issues and to create programs that reduce shelter intake. $74,266 TLAC Management created a hiring panel and developed interview questions and scenarios. The hiring panel decided to re-post the position since neither of two top candidates satisfied all the requirements. The position is re-advertised both locally and nationally. The hiring is put on hold until the new Chief Animal Services Officer comes onboard. 1/11/11 Page: 3

4 budget process. City Manager presented the Proposed Budget with $39,891 of funding for this item (1.0 Customer Service position). 7 Owner Relinquishment Policy Implement an owner surrender evaluation program. This program would require pet owners considering relinquishment of a pet to schedule an appointment. On the spot drop off of owned pets would no longer be accepted. An evaluation of the pet would be conducted during the appointment. This would provide the pet owner with definitive feedback regarding options available for their pet, if relinquished. (Requires item 6 above.) $39,891 The position is advertised and TLAC is interviewing candidates. Staff has begun evaluating available models for scheduling owner-surrender appointments. The evaluation of pets at intake will be limited in scope until a Behaviorist is in place to develop the evaluation protocols and train staff. Customer Service staff hired. TLAC formed a management committee to implement this item. An electronic owner surrender appointment calendar has been created. CS Supervisor is working with the City CTM Dept to develop an online owner surrender behavior profile that can be accessed via TLAC website. Vet Services unit will assist with the animal evaluations. Still in progress: Scripts and process flow & final web content. 1/11/11 Page: 4

5 8 Enhance Foster Care Program Permanently fund make-ready costs for animals adopted directly from the foster home. Permanently fund make-ready costs for animals re-homed by the finder. Fund a pilot project with a partner organization to enhance the foster capability through leveraging the City investment. Enhance Spay Street Program $60,000 for make ready (from Donations) $25,000 for pilot (from General Fund) budget process. 33 animals processed directly from the foster homes in October. 47 animals processed from the foster homes in November and December. budget process. 9 Enhance this neighborhood intervention program, which targets at-risk breeds, by adding the following components: Provide funding for 300 sterilizations beginning. Provide funding for additional staff outreach position. The service provider will grow a volunteer program to support the outreach component of the program. The service provider will continue to seek funding to support the remaining sterilizations to achieve the program goals. $25,500 for sterilizations surgeries $65,000 for outreach position Outreach staff hired. Contacted seven schools in targeted areas and distributed 5,000 promotional flyers. Education Outreach via AISD health fairs, TLAC tours, Bite Prevention and Responsible Pet Ownership classes. Attended APA fundraiser, participated in Mayor Leffingwell s Resolution Run 2011, set up Animal Protection and Spay Street displays at COA s City Works night. Scheduled multiple TLAC tours and educational classes with 4-H CAPITAL, a group that teaches after-school programming to at risk youth. Added spay & neuter info to upcoming RV clinic 1/11/11 Page: 5

6 flyer on Montopolis 02/12. Added enforcement of TLAC spay/ neuter agreement (Class C misdemeanor) to list of responsibilities. Continued teaching educational classes to schools and after school programs. Launched door-to-door campaign with redesigned Spay Street door-hangers. Added new APA medical clinic flyer to our informational packets. Partnered with Tara Stermer "Training by Tara" at community outreach events. 10 Provide Sterilization Services at Rabies Clinics Provide funding for sterilization at the five rabies clinics conducted each year in highintake, low-income neighborhoods. $40,000 ($30,000 donation funds, $10,000 General Fund) FY12 FY12 budget process. 1/11/11 Page: 6

7 Provide Sterilization Services for Owned Cats 11 Provide funding for free sterilization of owned cats. The service provider to provide a higher percentage of funding (through fund raising) each year as City funding decreases. Goals for this program are as follows: 1,000 surgeries FY12 1,200 surgeries FY13 1,440 surgeries FY14 1,728 surgeries $60,000 ($20,000 from donations funds, $40,000 from the General Fund) FY12 FY12 budget process 12 Emergency Care Fund Maintain the emergency care fund to assist animals that are brought into the shelter because of lack of money for needed medical care (usually trauma related). In FY09, 252 animals were surrendered due to medical reasons. $50,000 ($30,000 donation funds, $20,000 from the General Fund) budget process City Council approved the Proposed Budget with $20,000 of funding for this item from the General Fund (additional $30,000 are to be allocated from the Donation Fund). TLAC started utilizing funds to assist animals in need of medical care. $250 per animal. 1/11/11 Page: 7

8 Feral Kitten Foster Program Develop a program to provide foster, socialization, spay/neuter and adoption of underage kittens trapped in colonies. Recommend funding the operations costs and provide space for the program in the Davenport Adoption Center when operational. (See recommendation 2.) 13 $52,230 FY12 FY12 budget process Start meetings with neighborhood associations, community groups, apartment management association, etc. in May. budget process. 14 Stray Cat Relocation Relocate stray cats back in to the community from where they came, after spaying or neutering them. The City will work with community stakeholders to develop related procedures and protocols to address this item. $78,447. City Council approved the Proposed Budget with $78,447 of funding for this item. This should fund medical make ready for 1,299 stray cats using volunteer corps for relocation and education efforts. TLAC staff coordinated two meetings with community stakeholders to discuss possible implementation of the successful TNR model as practiced in Jacksonville, Florida. Meeting participants included Animal Advisory Commission, Humane Society, Animal Trustees of Austin, Austin Pets Alive!, and Emancipet. It was decided that the Humane Society will lead this program. 1/11/11 Page: 8

9 AHS is finalizing cage space details, program flyer and door hanger. TLAC is finalizing criteria selection for feral cat candidates. AHS and TLAC staff will be visiting Jacksonville, FL January for 2.5 days to observe the Feral Freedom program protocols in action, with sites visits and ride-alongs to First Coast No More Homeless Pets(FCNMHP) and the City of Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services(JACPS) TLAC began transferring feral cats to AHS for spay & neuter and vaccination, and return to the field. 15 Public Awareness Campaign Organize a volunteer public relations task force that focuses on promoting shelter needs. The City of Austin, with task force/public input, will also create and implement a seasonal public awareness campaign that focuses on key Animal Services programs. Advertising: $45,000 Printing: $8,000 Task force meeting scheduled for 4/15/10. Implementing cost neutral elements of the plan immediately. Immediate focus on owner relinquishments. Another meeting was held on May 20. The public awareness group met July 29 th. The group decided to consider themselves a committee rather than a task force. The members believe that their mission is ongoing rather than task-specific. Two members, Dolly Ensey and Adette Quintana, volunteered to serve as co-chairs for the committee and as liaisons with staff. The group discussed an assortment of ideas for promoting shelter activities and events and there was also great interest in 1/11/11 Page: 9

10 continuing to provide feedback (content and design features) on the animal services website. The next meeting date has not been set but feedback from the group seemed to indicate interest in an August meeting. Committee met again on September 2 nd and: Discussed a need for donations and shelter s inability to receive donations on-line Set regular meeting date for 1st Wed of each month, at 6:00 p.m. City Council approved the Proposed Budget with $53,000 of funding for this item. 16 Free Animal Sterilization Programs Fund one additional day of free sterilization services beginning in, bringing the City program to 3 free days per week/50 weeks per year. Fund one additional day of free sterilization services beginning in FY13, bringing the City program to 4 free days per week/50 weeks per year. $120,000 for The Committee Chair will present the suggestions directly to the Animal Advisory Commission at the monthly AAC meetings. budget process. Emancipet added additional day of free sterilization services as planned. 1/11/11 Page: 10

11 Feral Cat Sterilization 17 Continue funding the feral cat sterilization voucher program at the current level of $30,000. A partner organization currently provides free sterilization for 5,000 feral cats per year. Currently Funded FY10 Program is currently funded and operating. PARVO Prevention Program Create a PARVO prevention program that will reduce the death of puppies. The program will include: $5,500 for Rabies clinics program 18 Provide free PARVO vaccinations at all rabies clinics Provide free PARVO vaccinations through partner organizations that serve lowincome populations during puppy season (February through May) Conduct a PARVO awareness campaign throughout puppy season $16,500 for vaccines at partner organizations that serve low-income populations FY12 FY12 budget process 19 Provide Euthanasia List to Partners Expand opportunities for rescue groups to review the euthanasia list to identify animals that may be candidates for their program. ly, staff is working on process changes that will provide the pending euthanasia list at an earlier time. $0 FY10 Under the moratorium, emergency euthanasia may be required at any time to create cage space for incoming animals. Due to the moratorium a euthanasia list no longer exists. A list of animals with no holds is provided to approved rescue partners daily. 1/11/11 Page: 11

12 20 Last Resort Adoptions Provide a program where an owner or person in the community who surrenders an animal and wants to be the last resort to prevent the animal from being euthanized may put a hold on the animal. $0 FY10 This program is currently in place, however enhancements to the forms will be made to encourage presenters of animals to take advantage of this option. Changes completed 3/31/10. Staff has developed a tracking option in the Chameleon database to monitor this type of animal holds. The first task force meeting was held on 4/28/10. The second task force meeting was held on August 10 th. Task Force members identified challenges and opportunities for addressing the pit-bull type dog issues. 21 Pit-Bull Task Force Continue to work closely with the Pit-Bull Task Force and other organizations interested in helping solve challenges associated with pitbull type dogs. $0 FY10 The third task force meeting was held on August 31 st and: 1. Adopted revised mission statement 2. Discussed issue of breed mis-identification and over-identification and measures to address it 3. Discussed issue of shortage of rescue groups willing to accept the breed and reasons for that 4. Announced Pit Bull Awareness Day, Nov 7, Set meetings for 4th Tuesday each month 1/11/11 Page: 12

13 Microchip Animals Not Relinquished The Committee Chair will present the suggestions directly to the Animal Advisory Commission at the monthly AAC meetings. 22 Provide free microchips to animals when an owner decides not to relinquish an intact animal. This is an activity the City currently does. The owner is provided a voucher for animal sterilization and a microchip. The vouchers are funded from the donation fund. $0 FY10 Completed for FY10. Insufficient Donation Funds for. Revamp the Animal Services Website Website launched on 5/10/10 23 In Spring 2010, the Animal Services Web site will be refreshed with a new look, userfriendly architecture and links to new social media resources maintained by Animal Services staff. The site will enable first time visitors and longtime friends of the Animal Center to connect immediately with the resources, including adoption/fostering resources, lost/found help and options to volunteer/donate. Easily marketable and memorable URLs will be available including getapetnow.com and more. $0 FY10 It has been constantly enhanced with new, improved content. TLAC is working with the CTM and PIO Offices to improve the current web site and overall functionality. One new feature will include a "Ready to go" pet blog with accompanying photos and video. This will be launched in Jan /11/11 Page: 13

14 24 Utilize 311 to Provide Pet Re-homing Options Staff will develop a new section of the website dedicated to alternatives, tips, and options for re-homing a pet. 311 will be able to utilize this information as well as refer callers to the website. $0 FY10 Website launched on 5/10/10 on 311 provided with the new information. 25 Owner Surrender Acknowledgement Individuals that surrender their animal are currently required to sign an owner surrender form. The form includes an acknowledgement that the animal may be euthanized and staff will add the number of animals euthanized the previous year to the form. ly, there is a bilingual sign in the receiving area describing the options available for surrendered pets (including euthanasia) and a scrolling reader board that provides statistics. Animal Acclimation Program Create a task force made up of staff, rescue and volunteer groups to work with stray cats and dogs to acclimate them to the shelter environment. Fund a Behaviorist position to develop and coordinate this program. (See recommendation number 6). $0 FY10 The owner surrender (OS) form is changed to provide the number of animals euthanized in the last fiscal year. A form is added to the OS Form showing euthanasia numbers. A new flyer is developed that provides additional information regarding euthanasia and options for helping homeless pets. Changes were implemented 3/ $0 It is critical that a behaviorist lead this effort to ensure safety for people and animals in the shelter. budget process. 1/11/11 Page: 14

15 Task force meeting scheduled for 4/29/10. 1 meeting has been held, parties interested in continuing will be contacted for a second meeting. 27 Rescue Group Task Force Host a task force to examine any new opportunities for additional placement partners. Currently, Animal Services has a full-time position that coordinates the placement of animals with partner agencies and rescue groups. This position also researches opportunities for new placement opportunities and recruits new groups. $0 FY10 The Rescue Group Task Force met on July 27 th. The group discussed strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of the current rescue program. The Rescue Task force met on August 25 th. Four co-chairs were selected, two for each species. Future meetings will be scheduled by the co-chairs. The group discussed goals and strategies for increasing the rescue program. 28 Counseling at Intake Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) volunteers will provide additional owner relinquishment counseling and information regarding pet retention and alternative re-homing options. Space and signage for this activity will be provided and TLAC staff will refer owners to APA!. $0 FY10 The Committee Chair will present the suggestions directly to the Animal Advisory Commission at the monthly AAC meetings. Began pilot project with APA 3/12/10 calling owners of at-risk animals to encourage them to reclaim their pet. The project has been very successful so far and may be an additional approach to preventing euthanasia. TLAC will continue to monitor the success of this project. APA began an on-site PASS program on 6/08/10. It provided three days of service in June and served 10 clients with the 40% success rate. APA provided 20 hours of the on-site PASS 1/11/11 Page: 15

16 program service in July and served 37 animals with the 68% success rate. APA! has a new PASS program coordinator with increased hours of service. Continuing field return-to-owner program. Night drop boxes have been eliminated in the new animal services center. 29 Contact Reno, NV City staff spoke with Mitch Schneider, Shelter Director for the Washoe County open intake shelter in order to identify additional opportunities to return animals to their homes. Based on that discussion, we will continue the field return-to-owner program already in place and the planned elimination of the night drop boxes in the new shelter. $0 FY10 TLAC staff contacted Mitch Schneider again and discussed the Washoe County s experience with removing the night drop boxes. A TLAC staff team is currently working on this item. Mitch Schneider, Shelter Director for the Washoe County shelter visited TLAC and presented his shelter s programs to the TLAC supervisors. Night-drop boxes at TLAC were closed on October 1 st. 1/11/11 Page: 16

17 The review will be conducted in so that funding requirements, if any, could be requested in the FY12 budget process. 30 Software/Database Review Conduct a software/database review process in collaboration with the AAC and other stakeholders, as appropriate. $0 The TLAC staff met with the IT department and Budget office and discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the current system on June 24 th. The immediate needed enhancements were identified. Endel Jurman, Executive Director of HLP, visited TLAC on August 10 th and 11 th and presented the latest Chameleon Database version and answered staff questions. The latest version of the Chameleon Database has been installed on August 19 th. The TLAC staff is working closely with the CTM, PIO Office, and Chameleon staff to identify additional features and opportunities that the upgrade has to offer. 1/11/11 Page: 17

18 New Measures The additional measures recommended by the AAC that are readily available will be added to the measures posted to the Animal Services website each month. Measures for any new policies or programs implemented will be developed as a part of the implementation process. These new measures would be posted to the website as well. Fee for Wildlife Relocation Implement a $50 relocation fee for pest control companies that bring wildlife to the shelter for disposal. Intake Fee Implement a $160 intake fee for other jurisdictional agencies (outside of Travis County) that bring animals to the shelter for sheltering and disposition. $0 FY10 s: $0 Revenues $6,500 s: $0 Revenues $16,000 New measures will be posted to the website with the May reports. The new set of measures will be presented to AAC on July 16 th. The updated measures as requested by AAC were presented at the August AAC meeting. budget process. TLAC started collecting the prescribed fee. budget process. TLAC started collecting the prescribed fee. 1/11/11 Page: 18

19 Feral Cat Food Bank is secured through Urban Living with the space available until the end of Sept Feral Cat Food Bank Location The City should provide a location to house a food bank for feral-cat colony managers to access cat food on a regular basis. s: $0 FY10 From the National Feral Cat Day Food Drive: More than 800 lbs of dry food and 2,000 oz. of canned food have been distributed to feral trappers and their feeders. From the PetCo We are Family Too" program. About 50lbs has been distributed to the same trappers/feeders. Spay Austin Coalition purchased 1,000 lbs of Kirkland s Dry food. Forty 25 lbs bags have been distributed. Current TLAC site will be maintained for a period of 6 months after the new Animal Services Center is opened. Outsource the animal adoption program. To be determined To be determined FY12 Developing cost estimates for utilities and building maintenance. This item will be developed in the FY12 budget process. RFP issued on 6/9/10, with a goal of contract award October analysis and funding requirements to be determined. Current negotiations suspended until the new Chief Animal Services Officer is hired. She will be directly involved in the negotiation process. 1/11/11 Page: 19

20 Should impose an immediate and permanent moratorium on the killing of any animal (except for humane reasons or aggression validated by a behaviorist) when there are empty cages and kennels. To be determined FY10 Implemented 3/11/10. Utilizing 16 hours per week of additional veterinary capacity to support ill/injured animals that are being housed for longer periods. Implemented enhanced vaccination/wellness protocols. See status in item 5 and 6. Statistics to track moratorium have been developed and are in place. 1/11/11 Page: 20